Anyone You Want Me To Be
by Lady Sashi
Summary: She could be anything and anyone he wanted her to be, and all he wanted her to be, was who she already was. Not my usual stuff, but I thought I'd give this a try. I own Nothing.


Anyone You Want Me To Be

Mystique paced her quarters restlessly. She had been doing this for a long time, yes she believed in the cause. Mutants couldn't live in harmony with other humans, but she was in it for another reason altogether.

Erik.

She didn't know when she first realized something had changed.

When she had gone from being his right hand man, to wanting to be his right hand woman.

She set her composure, and left the room, shifting as she walked.

When Erik entered the room, he found a pretty blonde with dark blue eyes, dressed in a short leather skirt and leather corset, with her long, booted legs draped over his desk. Without sparing so much as a glance, he used his powers to pull out the chair, sending her onto the floor.

She got up, more than a little hurt, and strode off.

If blonde wasn't his thing, she'd try brunette.

The tall brunette had much the same luck, and she spent the next few weeks trying every combination she could think of. Blonde, brunette, red-head, Asian, black.

Nothing worked.

She even paraded herself in front of him hoping one of the X-Men would get his attention; maybe Rogue.

No luck.

If women didn't please him, maybe men would; she could be anyone after all.

Charles sat on his bed when he came in that night, Erik gave a soft groan and pinched the bridge of his nose.

Mystique was sparring with Sabretooth, and being none too gentle. Healing factor or no, he was going to need hospital time before she was even close to being finished with him. She was fuming, she could anyone; literally, and he still didn't want her. She kicked Sabretooth through the wall and left.

She was a woman on a mission.

Charles wheeled into his room, and turned on the low lighting to find Mystique sitting in the chair by the window. Charles gave a slightly amused smile. "You didn't have to sneak in". She shrugged, old habits die hard. "I know why you're here. He can be quite the stubborn man, can't he, and quite the blind fool. Try being yourself, for once, see where it gets you. You spend so much time in other people's skin, let him see Raven".

"Be myself? I've been myself since the very beginning, and he never noticed".

"You've been Mystique, the warrior, Mystique, the soldier, but have you tried being Mystique, the woman"? Charles had an epiphany, "you've shown him Mystique, but you need to give him Raven".

_Raven_. Raven died a long time ago, but for him she would be Raven again, for him, she would try.

The lights flickered, and she was gone.

Stripping away the warrior that was Mystique, to reveal the woman that was Raven, was easier said than done. She tried to think back to a time when she had been Raven, before she became Mystique.

And couldn't.

She couldn't remember a single moment, not one second.

Erik sat at his desk working on his latest project, when Mystique entered. She set the file folder down and walked out. That was the plan anyway, but Erik's hand clamped down on her wrist.

"You've been acting very strange lately".

Raven gently manipulated her wrist out of his grasp, and tuned to leave. He was up in an instant, spinning her around and pinning her against the metal desk.

Fire sparked and blazed in her golden eyes, "I don't understand you! I can be anyone you want me to be, am willing to be anyone you want me to be, and still you push me away"! All the while making rapid shifts of all the forms she had taken in an attempt to please him.

He pursed his lips as he trailed a hand down her jaw, giving a little "hmm", now that that everything was finally out in the open. Her tirade was over and she had resumed her true form.

He smiled softly, as he continued to trace her jaw, and leaned in slowly.

She closed her eyes tight, he was going to reject her. Again, after she had just poured out her soul to him. Something Mystique would never do, something that Raven always wanted to. She was a strong woman, had to be a strong woman, but if he refused her now, she would break.

"I want you….", he trailed off as he whispered softly in her ear, in a husky voice.

"To be?", she asked opening her eyes slowly.

He shook his head, "I just want you".

He kissed her softly, not some form she had taken to appeal to him. He kissed _her_, he kissed Mystique; no, he kissed Raven.

She could be anything and anyone he wanted her to be, and all he wanted her to be, was who she already was.


End file.
